James Cameron Gives Avatar 4 & 5 Progress Update, Clarifies Whether He's Directing Or Not (2024)

Summary

Cameron plans to direct Avatar 4 and 5 unless unforeseen circ*mstances prevent him.
Avatar 4 and 5 are in production, set for 2029 and 2031 releases.
Despite considering passing the baton, Cameron's unique creative vision makes it likely he'll direct.

James Cameron provides a progress update on Avatar 4 and 5 and clarifies whether he's directing them or not. One of the most commercially successful directors of all time, Cameron has helmed the first two films in the franchise, which both grossed over $2 billion at the box office, and the upcoming Avatar 3, which is officially subtitled Fire and Ash. However, Cameron has suggested that he might not direct the fourth and fifth movies and instead focus on developing other projects.

Now, during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Cameron provided a progress update on Avatar 4 and 5 and clarified whether he's directing them or not. Asked if he still plans to personally direct the fourth and fifth movies, Cameron said "Sure. Absolutely" unless any unforeseen circ*mstances prevent him from doing it. Read his full response below:

Sure. Absolutely. I mean, they’re going to have to stop me. I got plenty of energy, love doing what I’m doing. Why would I not? And they’re written, by the way. I just reread both of them about a month ago. They’re cracking stories. They’ve got to get made. Look, if I get hit by a bus and I’m in an iron lung, somebody else is going to do it.
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The Avatar Movies Are Deeply Personal For James Cameron

It's Unlikely He'll Pass The Baton To Another Director

After the first Avatar was a massive success in 2009, which still stands as the highest-grossing film of all time, Cameron devised an ambitious plan to continue the saga with four more films. The first of these sequels, Avatar: The Way of Water, was finally released in 2022. Parts of the third installment were filmed concurrently, set for a release in December 2025, and at D23 2024: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, it was recently revealed to be titled Avatar: Fire and Ash.

Avatar 4 and Avatar 5, which are in various stages of production, are expected to be released in 2029 and 2031, respectively. In a previous interview, Cameron said the Avatar movies are "all-consuming," and suggested that he may not direct future sequels to focus on developing other projects, saying, "I think eventually over time — I don’t know if that’s after three or after four — I’ll want to pass the baton to a director that I trust to take over, so I can go do some other stuff that I’m also interested in. Or maybe not. I don’t know."

James Cameron's first two Avatar movies have been gargantuan box office hits. Here's a rundown of box office predictions for Avatar 3, 4, and 5.

In the past, Cameron was uncertain about whether he would direct Avatar 4 and 5, but based on his latest comments, it clearly sounds like he has made up his mind. After all, the Avatar movies are deeply personal for Cameron from their thematic content, groundbreaking technology which he helped innovate, and the unique creative vision that Cameron has poured into the franchise. While Cameron considered passing the baton to another director, he clearly cares about the Avatar movies the most and is prioritizing them over pursuing other projects.

Source: THR

Avatar 4

PG-13

Sci-Fi

Avatar 4 is the fourth film in James Cameron's Avatar franchise. The franchise follows the adventures of the Na'vi, a race of intelligent beings that live in the lush world of Pandora. Sam Worthington and Zoe Zaldana reprise their roles as Jake Sully, a human turned Na'vi via an experimental program, and Neytiri, Jake's wife and born Na'vi.

Director: James Cameron
Release Date: December 21, 2029
Studio(s): 20th Century
Distributor(s): 20th Century
Writers: James Cameron , Shane Salerno
Cast: Zoe Saldana , Sigourney Weaver , Sam Worthington , Stephen Lang
Franchise(s): Avatar
prequel(s): Avatar , Avatar: The Way of Water , Avatar 3

Avatar 5

Avatar 5 is the fifth and final film in James Cameron's Avatar franchise. The franchise follows the adventures of the Na'vi, a race of intelligent beings that live in the lush world of Pandora. Sam Worthington and Zoe Zaldana reprise their roles as Jake Sully, a human turned Na'vi via an experimental program, and Neytiri, Jake's wife and born Na'vi.